CHECK-IN As I was connecting from an internal flight from Kittila, in Lapland to Helsinki, I was already checked in and had separate boarding passes for both flights. (For a review of the Kittila-Helsinki leg, click here.) Flight AY447 from Kittila landed at 1445, and flight AY448 from Helsinki to London Heathrow was departing at 1600, so I didn’t have a lot of time to relax.
THE LOUNGE Finnair’s new business class Via lounge is located in Terminal 2 near Gate 36, which is was ten- to 15 –minute walk from where I disembarked, beyond passport control. The 1,000 sqm facility opened on December 11, 2009, and is open to business class passengers as well as top-tier Oneworld and Finnair Plus members for free. Entry to the lounge can be purchased by all other travellers for €45.
Open 6am-12am, it has a variety of seating areas for working or relaxing, free wifi, European plug sockets in some armchairs, three Mac computers and Samsung LED TVs. There are also six private shower suites for those not using the spa, and a spacious food and beverage area. (There was not a lot of choice of things to eat when I was there the day after it opened – just a few dishes of cold salads, bread, cookies and savoury nibbles.)
A wine bar stocks vintage champagnes, wines and special cognacs, at a price. For example, a glass of Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin Brut, Pommery Wintertime Blanc de Noirs or Lanson Brut Rosé costs €16, and Krug Grande Cuvée is €37. Hennessy Paradis (4cl) costs €45, Gordon’s Gin (4cl) costs €5.80, Johnnie Walker Red Label (4cl) costs €6.50. The only free alcohol available is wine and beer on tap.
Next door to the lounge is the Via spa, which also opened on December 11. It is free only for Finnair Plus Platinum cardholders, costing €45 for all other passengers. Facilities include a steam room, four saunas, a stone bath (like a normal steam room except hot stones are plunged into cold water to create the steam), Rasul for mud skin peels, a mineral water pool, and loungers facing the runway – the lower parts of the windows are blacked out so people can’t see in. Treatments are designed to combat the side effects of flying and last ten to 25 minutes on average (costing €25-€55). Travellers should allow one hour to experience the spa.
For exclusive photos of the lounge and spa, click here.
BOARDING After having a good look around the lounge and a quick drink, I headed for departure Gate 30A, a seven-minute walk away. The flight had started boarding at 1525 and I was on board by 1550, just as the final call was announced. The plane was about one-third full, and once in my seat, I was offered a choice of two English-language papers (Daily Mail and Telegraph). Hot towels and drinks, including Joseph Perrier champagne, were also brought around before take-off.
THE SEAT Finnair’s A319 is configured 3-3 (A-B-C, D-E-F) in economy and 2-3 in business, and on this flight there were seven rows of business class divided from economy by a curtain. (I was in aisle seat 5D, just behind a couple and their baby, which cried a lot during the flight.)
Seats are upholstered in bright blue fabric with flecks of red, and a number of small overhead in-flight entertainment screens are positioned throughout. On this flight, the safety demonstration video was shown on these monitors, as well as a travel documentary.
WHICH SEAT TO CHOOSE? Seats D-E-F on the right-hand side of the cabin in business class have more storage space under them as they are wider than A-B-C seats. The fact that they are wider on this side also means that middle seat E is sold, whereas middle seat B is not. (Seats on the left-hand side of the plane have movable armrests that allow seats A and C to be made wider, reducing B to a seat that is effectively too narrow for anyone to sit in.)
The pitch is the same in both classes (33 inches), which means row one is the best for those wanting a little extra legroom. Choosing seats A or B means you will be guaranteed not to be sitting next to anyone else, but they are a little narrower than seats D-E-F, which have more under-seat storage space.
THE FLIGHT Take-off was at 1610 and the captain informed us that we would be landing at 1715 local time (the UK is two hours behind Finland). The meal service started at 1645, and menu cards were given out with the trays of food. The starter was lightly salted salmon with horseradish sauce, while the main was roast turkey fillet with gingerbread sauce and goat’s cheese rosti. There was a tiny piece of lingonberry cake in a large, heavy, china bowl for dessert. (Not so sensible if the airline is looking to cut back on weight to save fuel.)
I didn’t try any of this as I had ordered the vegetarian option, which, as I often find on flights, is actually vegetarian-vegan – so no dairy. The starter was awful – an unidentifiable lump of starchy pate with no favour on a few salad leaves. The main, I am afraid, was no better – a dish of two circular beetroot and instant mashed potato cakes, accompanied by slices of boiled beetroot, boiled potatoes and butternut squash puree. Not only did it look alien, with an over-abundance of bright pink and orange, but tasted like space food – just add water for bland, peculiar-textured fodder. I would expect more from a vegetarian meal in business class.
ARRIVAL We arrived in airspace above London at 1640 local time, but then flew out towards Reading before heading back to Heathrow, circling and then descending at 1700. Despite this whole process feeling rather frustrating, we landed at exactly the time the captain said we would, at 1715. So he had obviously factored all this in. My only criticism would be the “easy listening” Christmas music that was playing on a loop for the full 35 minutes.
VERDICT Although the special vegetarian meal I ordered was inedible, the flight was punctual, the seat comfortable for this short-haul flight, and the service efficient and friendly.
PRICE Internet rates for a return business class flight in January from London to Helsinki started from £742.
CONTACT finnair.com
Jenny Southan
